ALBANY, N.Y. -- Getting caught speeding or using a cell phone while driving could become costlier under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget proposals.

Proposals to limit plea deals for flagrant speeders and an expansion of the $80 state surcharge on traffic tickets to cover common parking violations to which speeders plead down are included in the executive budget Cuomo unveiled this week.

People who talk or text on their cell phones while driving also could face stiffer fines under the measures being considered by the state Legislature.

The changes initially would bring in $16 million for New York state and $25 million a year after that. The Cuomo administration said the proposals also would make the roads safer.

The governor proposes that fines for cell phone talking or texting while driving be at least $50 and rise to a maximum of $550 for multiple violations. There currently are no minimum penalties, and fines are capped at $100 for talking and $150 for texting. Cuomo's budget memo said the stiffer fines will prod phone users to change their ways.

Some drivers asked about the potential for stiffer fines agreed -- to a point.

"I think fines scare some people, but only for a little while," said SUNY Albany student Amanda Cuerbo . "I don't text while I drive, but when my mom or dad call, I'm going to pick it up."

The governor also is trying to tap the brakes on speeders taking plea deals, particularly for drivers clocked at more than 20 mph over the limit. Plea deals to lesser violations are common in local courts and spare drivers from accumulating too many violation points on their licenses. Of 393,000 "non-moving" convictions statewide tallied by the administration over a year, about 77,000 were pleaded down from speeding tickets and roughly 20,000 of those initially were for driving 20 mph over the speed limit.

Compiling 11 points in 18 months results in a license suspension, and convictions of speeding more than 20 mph over the limit results in six points.

Cuomo's bill would, in most cases, bar drivers charged with speeding more than 20 mph over the limit from pleading down to violations with zero points. If a prosecutor reviews the evidence and sees a reason for a no-point plea for those drivers, he or she would have to justify it in the court record. That way, persistent speeders wouldn't be able to escape fines and sanctions by repeatedly pleading to offenses that do not appear on a driving record, according to the Cuomo administration.

Olive Town Justice Timothy Cox said he was unconcerned about the governor's proposed new restrictions.

"The courts are not here for revenue, and there have been justices, even attorney justices, who have been censured for thinking that the courts are here for revenue," said Cox, whose often hears traffic cases resulting from violations on state Route 28.

Cox, a lawyer, also said he has no worry that the state changes could delay the disposition of cases or result in more traffic trials.

New York City traffic lawyer Matthew J. Weiss, whose firm operates in local courts statewide, said municipalities that now allow plea deals could lose fine revenue under the change because the new restrictions would require pleas to state charges.

He said the proposal would limit prosecutorial discretion, but "it's not so draconian that I think it's going to dramatically make changes to most courts."

Others drivers caught speeding would have a harder time avoiding a state surcharge because the executive budget would impose an $80 surcharge on the sort of lesser, parking-related violations to which drivers often plead down. New York already imposes an $80 surcharge on moving violations that are assessed on top of fines.

The changes could affect some speeders' insurance rates if they are denied favorable plea deals.

New York Insurance Association President Ellen Melchionni said her group supports Cuomo's measure not only because it could make the roads safer, but because it could give insurers a clearer picture of a driver's willingness to engage in risky behavior.

"The more information we can have about their true behavior is helpful," she said.